filariasis

Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

n. Disease caused by infestation of tissue with filariae.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

n. A disease common in tropical and subtropical countries resulting from infestation of the lymphatic system with nematode worms transmitted by mosquitoes: characterised by inflammation.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English

n. the presence of filariae within the body of an organism; infection with filariae. It is mostly found in tropical and subtropical regions.

n. a disease caused by nematodes in the blood or tissues of the body causing blockage of lymphatic vessels. Death of the adult worms may lead to inflammation and permanent fibrosis; the condition may lead to serious symptoms, such as elephantiasis or blindness. See river blindness

from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

n. Presence of Filaria in the blood-vessels and lymph-vessels: the underlying cause of elephantiasis.

Local, national and regional political will and leadership is also needed if we, together, are to meet the target of eliminating lymphatic filariasis, river blindness and trachoma, from the region by 2015.

In New Guinea, working at field sites so remote that Andy, and later his wife and collaborator Debra Wright, had to fell trees and build bridges to get to them, he battled tropical diseases ranging from malaria to filariasis, the nematode infection of which the grotesque swellings of elephantiasis is the end-stage sign.